The Drug Policy Website of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union

Drug Lords Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Global Prohibition

17 March, 2011 - 09:45
News
HCLU Films
Count the Costs

Drug lords say no to drug policy reform and thank the UN for keeping drugs illegal

50 years ago the United Nations adopted the first international treaty to prohibit some drugs – particularly drugs used by non-Europeans such as cannabis, cocaine and heroin. The logic of the system was simple: any use of the drugs listed, unless sanctioned for medical or scientific purposes, would be deemed ‘abuse’ and thus illegal. As a result of this convention, the unsanctioned production and trafficking of these drugs became a crime in all member states of the UN. It is now clear that punitive drug policies have several unintended consequences: they fuel the global HIV epidemic, undermine public health systems, result in a crisis for criminal justice systems, lead to severe human rights violations and create a massive illicit market worth an estimated annual value of almost 400 billion USD. There is a small group though that benefits from the global war on drugs: organized criminals and terrorists. (Read more about the global drug war!) 

LEARN WHO ARE THE REAL BENEFICIARIES OF THE GLOBAL DRUG WAR!

A Russian Heroin Trader Thanks the UN for 50 Years of Prohibition


 

Mexican Drug Lord Thanks the UN for 50 Years of Prohibition


Taliban Leader Thanks the UN for 50 Years of Prohibition




Girlfriend of a Drug Kingpin thanks the UN for 50 years of prohibition

These video messages are not real - but the harms of this system are real! Join us on Facebook!

The HCLU initiatied this public advocacy campaign to raise awareness on the costs of the global drug war - the costs we pay not only in money but in human lives and human rights. We join the call of other like-minded NGOs  on the United Nations and the national governments to undertake a transparent review of the effectiveness of current drug policies.

Posted by Peter Sarosi

Comments

Submitted by Alex (not verified) on 17 March, 2011 - 16:58
Congratulations for this great campaign. It tells so much about the mechanisms behind this control system.

Submitted by Stuart Rosenthal (not verified) on 19 March, 2011 - 15:23
I must say that you said exactly what many , drug dealers and others who benefit from the War on Drugs (my preference is the more truthful " War on the Underclass") say. As a criminal lawyer I have heard many a criminal say "What will I do if they ever make drugs legal" Not only will the drug profits vanish but much of the "worker bees" of the criminal world would also disappear. It would be an economic disaster for the crime world that would be massive. Lawyers often joke about their own unemployment that would come about. One criminal was heard in a wiretap speaking about possible marijuana legalization . " These motherf----s gonna legalize that shit...it's the beginning its gonna be all drugs...my f---in kids will be on welfare.. They take gambling from us...they take booze...they take porn ...and prostitution (hmm I missed that one) ...if they take drugs ..its over...we're finished." The "they" he refers to is the Government. That was not fake!! It's reality. I often wonder with all these billions being earned ...is there anyway that it can be stopped. The ones who profit will spend fortunes insuring drugs remain in there domain of criminality. Is anyone smart enough or strong enough to effect change. I am not so sure,

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It got excellent content as well. I will search for this website for upcoming looking at. Thanks for discussing.

Submitted by UFC Forum (not verified) on 26 January, 2012 - 07:45
It was a great initiative of UNO it should be continue.

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Submitted by :))) (not verified) on 17 March, 2011 - 18:54
without it I wouldn't rotfl:)))

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 00:23
I must say that this isn't the best I have seen from HCLU. Many of the figures come off as prejudiced carricatures that border on discriminatory and are not even funny. The girlfriend sketch is the worst, being blatantly misogynist. You haven't even included U.S. or European drug lords. They could have been good if they were more elegantly and professionally made, and more serious. The idea is good. But I'm not sure if making a comedy of stereotypes should have been part of that idea. It's a tricky project with pitfalls, and you fell into one. With your budget, you probably shouldn't have executed it. This is embarassing from the HCLU, who made quite good videos, but who haven't made any for a year or so. Your previous journalist was much better.

Submitted by sarosip on 18 March, 2011 - 09:44

Dear Anyonymous,

thank you for your comments but I don't agree with your criticism - most other people from the drug policy movement whom we have shown the videos liked them and understood that we do not produce "more serious" videos to entertain a couple of researchers and activists but we would like to address the general public - we always said that one of the greatest problem with the drug policy movement is that it is isolated and cannot reach out people other than the same old group going to the same conferences each year. 

"who haven't made any for a year or so"

Check our movies on the Prague declaration or the Swiss drug policy before you make this kind of false accusations please! And show us any other organizations who are as active in the field of video advocacy as HCLU...

Peter

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 15:14
I found them annoying, not funny, noot good enough, and the stereotypes offended me. I think the idea could have been good, but the videos are awful the way they are now. Especially the cocaine snorting girlfriend, it looks like a school project went wrong. I like most of the other short videos from HCLU, that have only serious content. I'm not convinced that you are sufficiently good at comedy. I have only reacted to one thing before, the guy from Transform that had his shirt open, exposing his chest hairs. That clip shouldn't have been included (or you should have asked him to button up). Why should I feel shame for thinking the videos were not good? I agree with the cause, the points made, etc. I just really disliked these embarassing videos. As you might know, most people who agree with this cause will of course say everything is great, that is how human nature works. Ask a film student.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 15:32
The chest hairs - that was in "After the war on drugs" which is otherwise a great video.

Submitted by idoru on 18 March, 2011 - 17:24

We all found Danny's chest hair extremely sexy. The YouTube community would be much poorer without his chest hair. For those who are eager to see it: http://drogriporter.hu/en/afterthewar 

As for your other comments I understand your point, but do not agree with them, I don't think every funny sketch on earth has to be politically correct. We are not planning to recut or change any of these films. 

I do not wish to debate further about these videos, but thank you for your comments and hope that you will comment on those HCLU films that you actually like, with the same energy and enthusiasm.

best regards,

István Takács

HCLU

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 19:29
I think they are sexy, too, but the drug policy reform movement has a credibility problem directly related to internalization of stigmatization. This is common to most underground rights movements. Exposing chest hair does not help that situation, neither does brushing off criticism. I don't think every funny sketch has to be politically correct either. It's just that they weren't funny, and that the girlfriend sketch is just sad.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 19:41
By the way I do comment when I like stuff too, and I do spread your videos, most of whom I really liked. I just didn't like these. The Mexican one was passable. If you don't want criticism, you shouldn't have the comments field open for anonymous comments, or comments at all. I wouldn't necessarily recut them either, unless I also agreed with the criticism. And whether remaking them like I suggested would be better or worse is difficult to know before doing it and seeing the result. I just think they are weak, mostly because of all the rambling and degrading of the characters' intelligence. They don't look like confident drug lords, their personality isn't good enough. And I must say I really hate the girlfriend sketch, I find that stereotype incredibly offensive. While the other stereotypes might pass as within what would be funny and politically uncorrect if it was well executed, I think that one just doesn't. Neither do I like the making fun of Clinton as stupid video by Reason put out recently, precisely for the same reason, it plays on discriminatory stereotypes of women (being stupid), which I personally, frankly find totally unacceptable.

Submitted by andria (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 14:49
It is amazing that as soon as a few brave white men(!) attempt to parody the situation as we know it is with the distribution of IMPURE heroin (+other strong drugs) in the world, somebody must come along and criticize There is nothing wrong with constructive criticism but sir, you imply that you could do it better with some of your comments about brevity- not so bad... Why didn't you simply write an e-mail to our colleagues at the HCLU with your ideas: who knows you may have ended up with a part-time job..Just a thought I am the Mum of three year old Milly, who has two parents who have been chemically-dependent. Her Dad is likely to die young from the over - use of a legal drug called alcohol. It is incredible that when we stand up for ourselves and say the "Emperor" has no clothes; that prohibition is causing more harm than the chemicals and illegal drugs themselves, a fellow European citizen comes along to decry their effort Shame on you, but not shame on you for the constructive bits of your challenges Pick up then phone and call our brothers at HCLU Thanks to Istvan and other film-makers there www.usersvoice.org.uk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 15:16
I love most of HCLU's short films, just NOT these. A lot of other stuff I have seen is amazing.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 15:25
Why should I feel any shame? I say whatever I want, whenever I want and wherever I want. I don't care. Do you prefer censorship? Drug lords are confident. They don't look silly and act like Borat. The comedy is not tasteful, it is not funny, and it destroys the message, in addition to bringing in an element of cultural stereotypes, which is a dangerous terrain to tread on. The girlfriend sketch, as I already said, looks like a junior film school project gone terribly wrong. I'll ask a friend who studies film what he thinks. You should do the same. Great film makers cannot always succeed. My father made advertisements, usually humorous sketches. Sometimes they were bad, and he would admit later that he wasn't happy about a particular project, or two, when I confronted him. If you're only on the defensive, you won't learn.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 19:31
And what's with "a few brave white men" ?? Are you trying to confirm my worst fears, just saying it out of spite, or do you really mean what you're saying ?? What's being white got to do with anything?

Submitted by chicostix (not verified) on 20 March, 2011 - 01:02
I thought the girlfriend sketch was pretty funny. Probably because it's so very true. It's too bad you can't find humor in truth.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 00:25
(This is especially embarassing since the drug policy reform movement should really be modern and tolerant - you should take this comment serously and try and stifle criticism by, for example deleting it)

Submitted by saree blouse (not verified) on 3 January, 2013 - 08:04

I never had a man come to me for advice yet, but what I soon discovered that he thought more of his own opinion than he did of mine. ~Josh Billings

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 00:40
Some suggestions: 1. Make them shorter and more to the point, less staggering. 2. Cut the stupid Borat-style "heroan" "the opium" etc., don't degrade the characters. 3. Remove the girlfriend sketch, as it displays a woman in a traditional role of dependency and also makes her look unintelligent, so it comes off as misogynist 4. Add a U.S. and European drug lord to make it less ethnocentric. 5. Drop the "fake message" - everyone understands that. 6. Instead write "Prohibition Works" "For Organized Crime" (cut only) and add a screen with numbers (and you might want to cut those numbers from the drug lord's ramblings to make it less... well, less rambling).

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 00:44
By the way I think the Mexican one is the least bad one, but it still doesn't feel right. "my own cartel" is degrading, "Mexico city" obviously isn't the place to export weed to the U.S., and he does spend a lot of time rambling.

Submitted by idoru on 18 March, 2011 - 12:20

Dear Anonymous,

You write: "This is embarassing from the HCLU, who made quite good videos, but who haven't made any for a year or so. Your previous journalist was much better."

In fact HCLU produced 127 advocacy videos last year. You can take a look at our 2011 Video Advocacy portfolio in our video section: http://tasz.hu/en/hclu-film

As for staff (there are no journalists but activists), there has been no change, I was and I am still the head of the video advocacy program, and we make the films together with the program directors of the HCLU.

best regards, 

István Gábor Takács
HCLU

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 15:19
Well I love your short videos, and I have seen most of them. I really like the one on Asian Drug Detention Camps and take home heroin antidote. I just really dislike these... And it felt like it was a long time since you made short ones, but obviously I was wrong.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 20:32
In my opinion, these videos would have been far more powerful if they didn't aim to be funny at all, but were only serious, and if the drug lords excuded confidence and didn't ramble for several minutes. If they just said I don't think you succeed at being funny. Sometimes daring not to be funny is far more challenging. It's just my opinion. Why did you choose to try and make them "funny"?.. I realize some people might like this better, but I just don't think it's well done. Also, I feel that it requires you to already agree with the issue before watching, since they are unclear because of the rambling...The message really isn't clear.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 18 March, 2011 - 23:20
Hey, at least they are better than the Prop. 19 campaign films...

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 23 March, 2011 - 15:40
I have to say, it's unfortunate that there are only videos which stereotype only certain beneficiaries of drug prohibition. It makes it seem like the drug trade is an isolated problem, away from other parts of the world and the many layers of people (many white, many North Americans and Europeans) who make money off the trade elsewhere. What about a British pusher or a young, impressionable kid in the States?

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the mexican is the good one! lol!! i laughing very much! ay ay caramba!

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